Shoegaze isn't dead – and thank the musical gods for that. The hazy, glorious layers of fuzz are used to great effect by Cork dreampop band Elastic Sleep on their third single, Leave You . It has us itching to hear their new EP, out on April 29th. Naturally, it'll be available on vinyl (and digital). facebook.com/elasticsleepband

Dublin's Für Immer plough a darker furrow than Elastic Sleep, more stripped back but with foreboding synths and deadly basslines. Their album March (out now) looks like a piece of art, and could be the soundtrack to your next nightmare. facebook.com/furimmerdublin

What do you get when you combine a Belfast indie rocker and an Atlanta rapper with an Irish indie-rock band? The answer is Malibu Shark Attack . Their single Better Off as Friends features the Dudley Corporation on vocals. It's a lament for favourite bands gone bad. soundcloud.com/nodancing

The audio- visual artist Olan Stephens decamped from Galway to London, where he makes music under the moniker The Bedroom. His EP Graveyard of Ambition has a swagger worth sticking around for, with opening track The Big Up gloriously bombastic. thisisthebedroom.bandcamp.com

Cork's Former Monarchs released their debut album, The Cost Of Living, last week, and it's a stormer. Refreshing rock to blast out your eardrums in time for the summer. facebook.com/formermonarchsireland

Former Monarchs would make good bedfellows to We Town Criers . The Roscommon four-piece sound like a band who've found their sound but won't settle for anything boring. wetowncriers.com

Finally, Eamon Bode likes to keep his face a secret, but he bares his heart in his music. His second EP, Wolf, is out in April, and shows that he has really been honing his songwriting chops. facebook.com/eamonbodepage